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AUTOMATIG GAS OPERATED GUN.

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Patented Feb. 23, 1897.

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H. S. MAXIM. AUTOMATIC GAS OPERATED GUN. No. 577,485. PatentegFeb. 23,1897.

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Patented Feb. 23, 1897.

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Patented Feb fi'iwmd'. wimfzwrzlar W Ki /y provements in Automatic Guns,of which the rel, and consequently I can allow steam un- 50 lowpressure, say

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAXIM-NORDENFEL'I GUNS AND OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC GAS- AMMUNITION COMPANY, LIMITED,

OPERATVED GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,485, data! February23, 1897.

Application filed March 30, 1895- .To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM, mechanical engineer, a citizenof the United States, residing at 18 Queens Gate Place, London, in thecounty of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and usefulImfollowing is a specification, reference being ad to the accompanyingdrawings.

My invention relates to automatic or Maxim guns, and has chiefly for itsobject to generally improve the construction and arrangement of thevarious parts of these guns, so that the cost of their manufacture is,diminished and their use with cartridges having light or thin casesrendered more advantageous.

In the improved gun which forms the subject of my present application Iemploy a non-recoiling barrel which extends into and is afiixed to ajacket. This latter is divided by a transverse partition near itsforward end into a water-chamber and a gas-chamber, and the requisiteenergy for working the breech mechanism isobtained by the gases ofdischarge escaping from the muzzle of the barrel or from lateralopenings therein -into the enlarged gas-chamber and actuating a movableplate or hinged flap forming the outer end of said chamber. Theinovementof this flap is transmitted through suitable connections to the breechmechanism, the operation of which is effected by such movement. I afiixthe breech end of the said barrel to the rear end of the water-jacketand secure the muzzle end by a suitable joint that will allow expansionand contraction of the barrel within the water-jacket.

By the employment of a non-reeoiling barrel in the manner hereindescribed I am enabled to dispense with the usual stuffing-v boxes thatare necessary with a recoi ling barder considerable pressure to collectwithin the water-jacket without causing leakage of water, which wouldnot be practicable it ordinary stuffingboxes and a 'r'ecoiling barrelwere employed. It is well known that when steam is blown ofit" from thewater-jacket at of about one atmosphere,

its forward end, such ously-constructed Maxim guns.

Serial No. 585,483. (No model.)

it has such a large volume that a great deal of; the water is carriedover with it, and this objection ean only be avoided. by greatlyin:creasing the pressureand thereby reducing; therelative volume of; thesteam. I; there fore provide the water-jacket witha device which willnot allow the steam to escape when the'pressu're iuthe jacket is lessthan from five to ten atmospheres. Ihis device prevents the escape ofthe water with the steam and also prevents any dripping from the gunwhen it is not I eng fired.

The arrangement ofthe part termed the feed-box in the manner hereinafterspecified allows the water-jacket to be extended to the rearward, sothat a comparatively large body of water is provided for the barrel atthe breech.

In the ordinary Maxim guns as generally constructed the cartridges aresupplied to the gun bya belt which passes through'or across the feed-boxarranged above the breech end of the barrel, but according to my presentinvention instead of having the feed-box over the barrel it is placed tothe rear of the bar-v rel and in such a position that the cartridges asthey are brought by the feed-belt into the loading position are drivendirectly from the belt into the cartridge-chamber by a plunger on thebreech block or look, and after they are fired their cases are drawnback into the same clip of the belt from which they were taken and arethereby. carried away. The .breech block or locklneed not, therefore, beprovided with anytransversely-moving cartridge-carrier or othercartridge-transferring device on Other important features in my presentin vention relate to the manner in which the lock is constructed topermit of the ready withdrawal or insertion of the mainspring withoutthe use of a special instrument; to the manner of holding the extractordown in place when the breec -block is closed and the gun fired; to acontriva'nce for enabling the blowing 05 of steam and water to beeffected irrespective of the inclination of the gun; to the mannerofholding togetherthe plates that compose the casing inclosingthe breechmechas that used in previ- '0 move the cartridge-belt from or adjust itin parts here shown being indicated in the position they occupyafter'firi ng. Fig. 2 is a face view of the movable-end or flap of thegas-chamber. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of lherear portion of thegun shown in Fig. 1 ,the top plate or cover having been removed to.exhibit the breech mechanism. Fig. 4 is a transversesection tak-ensubstantially 'on belt traveling through the gun.

the line 1 1 of Fig. 1 and shows the cartridgeand7 are longitudinalsections of the breech block or look on a larger scale, Fig. 5representing the breech closed and the striker cocked, Fig. 6 the breechclosed, but the crank-shaft.

anism for releasing the firing-sear to fire thestriker fired, and Fig. 7the breech opened and the striker again cocked. Figs. 8 and 9 arerespectively a plan view and cross-section showing a detail of theextracting mechanism. Fig. 10 is a plan view of the safety and firingsears. Figs. 11, 12, 13, and 14 are detail'views showing, respectively,a longitudinal section, an end view, a plan, and a transverse section onthe line 3 3, Fig. 11, of the breech-end portion of the waterjacket withthe steam-escape device carried thereby. Figs. 15, 16, 17, 1B, and 19are horizontal sec tions showing diagrammatically the steam-escapedevice in various positions. Fig. 20 is a side elevation of theright-hand plate of the casing inclosing the breech mechanism andshows'nieans for locking the crank-handle in a forward position when itis desired to 'rethe gun. Fig.21 is a-similar View to that shown inthe'preceding figure, but shows the mechanism employed for feeding thecartridge-belt through the gun. This mechanism is situated on the insideof the plate, but for sake of clearness the outline of the plate itselfis merelyindicated by broken lines in this figure. Fig. 22 is a planview of the-mechanism illustratedin the foregoing-figure, and Fig. 23 isa transverse section substantially on the line 4 4 of Fig, 21. Fig. 24isa side elevation showing the inside of the left-handplate of theeasingand illustrates more particularly the mechanism employed -foroperating the This View also shows the mechgun. Figs. 25 and 26 aredetail views of the firing-button for actuating the firing mechanism,Fig. 25 being an elevation of the said button detached and Fig. 26 anend view thereof as. seen from the inside of the gun. V In all thefigures like letters of reference indicate similar parts.

A is the casing inclosing the breech mechanisnr, the said casingconsisting of the side and the end plate 0;.

Figs. 5, 6,

plates-a a, the top and bottom plates a a, a is the spring-catch forretaining the top plate or cover,closed.

B-is the barrel. I C is the breech block or lock; A, theguideciprocates; D, the crank-shaft; D, the crank; E, the connecting-rodcoupling the crank to the lock; G, the spiral spring which acts on thefusee G" to return the crank to its horiplates in which the breech blockor look rep zontal position; H, the box or easing inclosing the spring;I, the crank-handle; J, the buffer-spring against which the crank-handlestrikes in its forward movement; K, the roller over which thecartridge-belt passes as it enters the gun, and'L the firing-button.

The barrel B is at its. breech end formed with aflange B, which isconnected bya screw B to the rear portion F of the water-jacket F.

The muzzle end of the barrel passes through an opening provided in adisk or partition F which is screwed into or otherwise connected tothewater-jacket at a short distance from the muzzle end thereof." Thisopening is advantageously formed with a space'to receive packingmaterial, which can be firmly held around the barrel by a gland F Nearthe muzzle end of the barrel transverse openings 1) b are formed,through which the gases of discharge pass into a space or chamber (:1immediately in front of the aforesaid partition F The-outer end of thischamber is movable and is preferably made in the form of a flap d, whichis hinged or pivoted at d to a lug d carried by a-casing or steel liningd, that is situated within the space or chamber d and connected by ascrew d to the said partition F This casin g or lining d serves toprevent the bronze of the water-jacket from becoming overheated, and thelug (l is adapted to receive the fore sight cl of the gun.

The muzzle of the barrel B projects through an aperture (1 in the hingedflap, the said aper-' ture being made somewhat larger than the muzzle,so that. the flap can freely turn about its hinge or pivot withoutmeeting with any impediment from the barrel. Instead of arrang ing thebarrel to extend completely through the gas-chamber, as shown in Fig. 1,the muz-- said aperture cl can be correspondingly inereased'that is tosay, the aperture may be as large as the external diameter of thebarrel, and yet suflicient energy be obtained from the gases tosatisfactorily operate the flap and work the gun. A large aperture ofthis kind does not in any way interfere with the accuracy of fire. Tothe lower end d of the flap is connected a 'rod 01 which extends alongthe under side of the water-jacket, and at its opposite end is coupledby a pin (Z to a bar (1, adapted to slide longitudinally within thecasing A of the gun. The side plate a of this casing is formed with aslot a", through which a lug (Z on the bar (1" projects and is connectedon the exterior of the gun to the ad-.

jaeent end of the spring G.

The rear end of the bar (1 is recessed or slotted at (Z for thereception of the end of the limb (Z forming part of a bell-crank le- Yerwhich is pivoted at (1* to the side plate a of the casing A. The otherlimb d of this bell-crank lever is adapted to act upon the curvedportion D of the crank. It will thus be seen that when the flap (Z isturned into the dotted position indicated in Fig. 1 the bar 1! isshifted longitudinally and causes the bell-crank lever to turn the crankabout its axis into the position represented by the dotted lines in Fig.21 and thereby opens the breech. \Vhcn this movement takes place, thespiral spring G will be subjected to two stretching forces, one due tothe forward movement of the bar (Z and the other to the backward rotarymovement of the fusee G, carried by the crank-shaft. Consequently thesaid spring in its reaction not only restores the crank to itshorizontal position and closes the breech, but also returns the flap toits shut position. The end of the aforesaid curved portion I) of thecrank is beveled at D (see Fig. 24,) and the adjacent edge of the limb(Z of the bell-crank lever is recessed at d for the reception of theaforesaid beveled end of the crank. By these means, immediately theparts assume the position represented by the full lines in Fig.'24', thecrank is' firmly retained inits horizontal position, from which itcannot again move until the bar d is again actuated by the flap. v Inother words, thebell-crank lever acts as a dead-stop and prevents anyrebounding of the parts when the breech is closed by the action of theaforesaid spring G. g

The aforesaid bell-crank lever is furnished with a projection d", whichis so situated that it lies in front of an extension (Z on the guide.The bell-crank lever is thus normally held in place on ltSfulClLllll LIbut by turning the said bell-crank lever into a position to remove thesaid projection d" from in front of the extension. (Z it can be readilyremoved from its fulcrum.

By employing a hinged flap in the manner above stated the gu'n 'is notrendered unsightly or unsymmetrical in appearance, whereas in gunsheretofore worked with apparatus such as a piston and cylinder situatednear the muzzle an objectionable appearance has been imparted to thegun. l\Ioreo\-'er, the rod connecting the piston with the breechmechanism had to be of great strength to prevent its being bent. With mypresent construction I 'am able to employa simple rod which is always intension. Consequently great stiffness is not necessary,

and the gun can therefore be made much lighter.

In other automatic guns that, have 'been operated by the gases ofdischarge the piston and cylinder have been of extremely smalldimensions and the pressure of gas and the temperature have been veryhigh. These conditions have necessitated comparatively good fits betweenthe parts to prevent leakage, and incrustation and wearing of the partshave therefore had a'very marked effect upon the working of the gun. Bymaking the gaschamber very large, as in my present invention, so thatthe said chamber will contain a considerable quantity of air, itislfound that the parts do not have to fit tightly, that no perceptibleincrustation takes place, and that the pressure and temperature are bothcomparatively low, so that the parts do not get overheated. As the outerwalls of the said gas-chamber are formed by the continuation of theWater-jacket the gas-chamber and parts connected therewith are kept coolby the same water that cools the water-jacket. more, in all guns whereinapiston and cylinder have been employed it has been necessary forthe.piston to move approximately coaxiallywith or parallel to the boreof the barrel; otherwise the aim would be disturbed.- VVith my improveddevice little disturbance takes place, because at the time that thegas-pressure is acting on the parts the surface of the hinged flap ispractically perpendicular to the axis of the barrel. I

Another important advantage resulting from the use of the aforesaidhinged flap is that its comparatively large area enables plenty of airto enter the gas-chamber at each shot, and this air becoming heated bythe gases of discharge that enter the said gas-chamber expands, so thatthe gun is therefore partly worked by hot air. Moreover, the said flapdoes not fail in its action and enables me to obtain with smallcartridges any amount of power that may be required for working the gun.

The breech block or lock comprises a hollow body portion C, having atitsfront end a belt or plunger 0, through which the firingpin or striker 0extends. The rear end of the striker is carried by a sliding block c,which is notched at c to receive the nose 0 of the cocking-lever c. Thissliding block 0 has lateral projections 0 which enter and work inguide-grooves C2, formed in the side plates of the lock-body. block isalso formed with a longitudinal slot c through which extends atransverse pin E for securing-the connecting-rod E to the lock. 0- isthe mainspring, one end of which bears against a notched fixed piece Con the lock-body and the otherend against a notched projections on thesliding block of the striker. G is an opening in the lock-bod y, and C()are inclined surfaces with which the opposite sides of this openingare provided, the said inclines being so arranged with respect to theFurther- The said sliding before-mentioned notched projection c thatwhen the striker is in its forward position the said notched projectionis located immediately at the upper extremity of the incline As thenotch C is also at the upper extremity of the incline 0 I am enabled toreadily insert the mainsprin g into the look by merely thrusting itthrough the opening existing between the inclined surfaces, thesesurfaces acting as guides which force the ends of the mainspring towardeach other and release them when they reach the upper ends of theinclined surfaces and permit them to enter the aforesaid notch C and thenotch in the projection 0 The rem oval of the mainspring is equallysimple by exerting a downward pull thereon. The use of a specialinstrument for removing and replacing the mainspring is by these meanstherefore rendered unnecessary.

c is the extractor, which is pivoted at 0 to the upper part of the boltor plunger 0'. Its front end is curved and provided with a lip c, whichis adapted to come between the head of the cartridge and the breech endof ,--the barrel when the lock is in its closed posipiece 0 and thusreleases the cartridge.

tion, Figs. 5 and 6,-the said breechend of the barrel being recessed atb for permitting the extractor to assume such position. It

' will be observed that the barrel is not recessed to. receive the headof the cartridge,

but that the head rests against and projects beyond the fiat surface ofthe breech end .of the barrel. Near the front end of the extractor andon the upper edge thereof is a head or T piece 0 which engages with aslot 0, formed in the end of a resilient arm a. This arm is connected atits rear end 0 to the sliding block of the striker, the connection beingsuch that the army is capable of slight pivotal movement. The manner ofcoupling the extractor to the resilient arm by the head or T piece 0 andslot 0 enables the said arm to shift longitudinally without interferingwith the extractor and without becoming disengaged therefrom. Extendinglaterally from the slotted end of the resilient arm is an ear or lug 0which during the rearward movement of the lock is acted upon to raisethe said arm and the extractor by a projection or cam-piece a", standingout from the left hand guide-plate A.

o is a flexible guide attached to the side plate a of the gun,-the saidguide being so situated that it keeps the arm 0 in its depressedposition and the extractor in engagement with a cartridge until theaforesaid ear 0 engages with and is raisedby the'said cam-piece c, thatis to say, until the lock has completed or almost'completed its rearwardmovement. When the arm c is raised, the extractor is likewise lifted byits head or T In order to prevent the arm 0 from rising too high at thistime, as it otherwise might do when its ear is out of engagement withthe flexible guide 0 I provide on thefcover a of the gun adownwardprojection 0. which 00- cupies a position just above the slottedend of the said arm when the latteris in its rearward position, Fig. 7.

a is a pin extending transversely between the two side plates a a, thispin being so situated that it acts as a stop to press down the extractorinto engagement with the head of the cartridge as the latter isthrustinto the cartridge-chamb'erby the bolt or plunger 0'. When the gun isfired, the striker in its forward movement carries the slotted end ofthe flexible arm between the said pin a and the extractor, and therebyacts as a wedge to firmly hold the extractor in engagement with the headof the cartridge during the initial rearward movement of the lock whenit is in the act of withdrawing the emptycartridgecase from the barrel.

e is a pin carried by the lock-body, and on this pin are loosely mountedthe safety-sear c and the firing-sear 0 Each of these sears is providedwith ashoulder 0 which is capable of engagement with a correspondingshoulder e on the rear end of the upper edge of the sliding block c'ofthe striker. Aspring 0 carried by the lock-body, tends to keep thesesears depressed. As a convenient manner of connecting this spring to thelock-bod y I provide a triangular slot 07, into which a fin on thespring is adapted to enter. This fin is somewhatlonger than the distancebetween the apex and base of the triangular slot, but is somewhatshorter than the hypotenuse, so that in the insertion of the fin intothe slot the'said fin is placed parallel to the said hypotenuse, andafter its insertion is shifted in an upward direction, whereby itsextremities bind against the apex and base of the triangular slot. Thespring is thus firmly held in position and is assisted to retain suchposition by the pressure of the spring on the sears. The free end 0 ofthe safety-sear c is bent downward so that its extremity lies somewhatlower than the shoulder 0 In other words, the relative position of theseparts is such that when the side arms of the connecting-rod E assumetheir horizontal position, Fig. 5, in the closing of the breech they actupon the aforesaid bent end and raise the safety-sear high enough tobring its shoulder out of the path of the shoulder 0n the sliding block0'. The striker can thenbe released by lifting the firing-sear 0 Thelifting of this sear is ef fected by a sliding rodorbar M, which isprovided with a cam-piece m, Fig. 24, that can be firing-sear when thesaid bar is shifted rearwardly. This rearward movement of the bar isperformed by pressing inwardly the firingbutton L, whose inner end actsupon a pivoted lever m, which at its upper end engages with theaforesaid bar M. M M are brackets in which this bar slides. One of themviz., 1\I'is furnished with an ear M, against which the rear end of arod Mt, carried by the bar M, bears by the action of a spiral springsurrounding the said rod. .When the beforementioned firing-button L isreleased' after having been pressed inward, this spring-controlled rod Macts to return the sliding bar inner end pf'its stem l with a V-shapednotch 1, (see Figs. and 26,) with which a V- shaped projection m on thelower end .of theaforesaid. pivoted lever m' engages and prevents thebutton from being unintentionally turned. The said V-shaped notch willnot,

however, absolutely prevent the button from being turned if sufficientforce be purposely exerted thereon.

ential groove 1? near theinner end thereof,

and intothis groove fits a disk or washer l,

secured to the end plate a of the gun. A

longitudinal groove 1 is also formed in the stem of the firing-buttonand extends rearwardl y from the aforesaid circumferential groove F.This longitudinal groove is semicircular in cross-section and conformsto the curvature of the disk I. Therefore when the firing-button'isturned intoa position to bring: the longitudinal groove 1 incorrespondence; with the said disk I the firing-button can be:

readily pushed in todischarge the gun; but if the button be turned'outof this position, so that the disk Z no longer occupies a position incorrespondence withthe longitudinal groove 1, then the circumferentialgroove will act as a safety device to'prevent the inward movement ofthej'firing-button. If desired, the button may also be furnished with aStud 1 which is adapted to enter a hole a in the end plate a, whenturned into a proper position. Otherwise the said stud will strikeagainst the plate a when pushed inwardly and prevent the gun from beingdischarged. The rearward movement or cocking of the striker is effectedby the side arms of the connecting-rod E depressing the tail of thecocking-lever cduring their downward movement as the lock'retires inopening the breech.

The aforesaid resilient arm'c does not affect the extractor during thecocking of the striker, the slotted end of the arm permitting the latterto slide independentlyiof the extractor. As the breechblock or lockretires far enough to bring the said arm into the position shown in Fig.7 it raises the extractor, as there shown, and thus releases thecartridge-case after having drawn it into the empty clip of thecartridge-belt. This arm and the flexible guide 0 also permit theextractor to have a certain amount of free vertical movement during theclosing of the, breech, so that in the event of a cartridge getting infront of the curvedend of the extractor the lip c 'thereon will be ableto get in front of the head of the cartridge, either during its advancemovement or after the latter is in the cartridge-chamber. It is only onthe instant of firing and when the striker ing the-movement of thefeed-wheel.

The said stern of the firingbutton is likewise formed with acircumfe'r-.

"feed-wheel.

flies forward that the extractor becomes firmly held in engagement withthe cartridgeby the wedge-like action that takes place as the slottedend of the flexible arm passes beneath the transverse bar-a Situatedimmediately below the belt or plunger 0 of the lock is a feed-wheel N,having'a series of teeth or cavities N on' its pe'-\ 7 5- -riphery forengaging with the clips on thecartridge-belt to carry it through the gundur- Between the uppermost of these circumferential teeth or cavities Nthe bolt or plunger on the lock reciprocates at each discharge, andduring its backward movementlwrithdraws an N empty cartridge fromthe'barrel and replaces the said empty cartridge inthe same clip of thebelt from which it was originally taken during the forward movement ofthe bolt or plunge r. The said clips of the cartridge-belt areconstructed in the manner hereinafter stated to permit of thisoperation, and the feed mechanism is so devised, as subsequentlyexplained, that the said feed-wheel remains stationary during thepushing of the cartridge from the belt into the barrel and thewithdrawal thereof after firing.

The feed-wheel receives an intermit nt rotary movement from an arm 'n,71., Figs. 21

to 23, which is pivoted at n to the inner face of the side plate a. Theend 'n of this arm is made somewhat flexible and the end n is provided.with a pivoted pawl at. The said feedwheel is formed with projections orteeth N with which this pawl tengages to actuate the The tooth of thepawl is kept normally in engagement with the said projections or teeth Nby means of a spring a, one end of which is connected to-a stud on theside plate-a and the other end to an extension 01* on the pawl. The pawl.is also formed with a 'shoulder nfi'which is so arranged that when thepawl rises in the act of to rning the feed-wheel this shoulder comesbetween the projections or teeth N as shown by the dotted lines in Fig.23, thereby preventing the feed-wheel from turningbeyond its properdistance and insuring that the next cartridge in the belt shall cometruly in alinement with the cartridge-chamber and with the belt orplunger on the lock, which latter has at this time fully retired to therear.

To operate the arm nu, the crank-shaft is furnished with two projectionsD D, and between these two projections the endn of the arm lies, so asto be operated on by the projection D as the crank' rotates .backwardlyand the lock retires and by the projection D as the crank rotatesforwardly and the lock advances. The rearward movement of the lock is,however, such that the projection D IIO arm continues untilthe end ofthe bolt or' plunger has entered the feed-wheel. By

these means elasticity of the parts is obtained 1 and any sudden orjerkyactionof the bolt is avoided. As the said bolt or plunger entersthe feed wheel and the crank returns to its horizontalposition theprojection D returns the arm 7101- to its original position ready toadvance the feed-wheel another step at the next rearward movement ofthelock. on account of the rapid action of the parts the feed-wheel doesnot have time to shift, but in slower-firing guns a pawl may be providedto prevent the wheel from shiftingbackward while the'bolt is out ofengagement with one of the peripheral cavities in the wheel.

Mounted on the-aforesaid side plate a is a sliding bar 0, which issupported by a bracket a at one end and "by a pin a i at 'the other end.The bar is formedwith a. keyhol'e'slot for the reception of, thesa'idpin' a, :the narrow portion of the slot actingas a. guide .and thewider portion serving to enable the bar to be readily removedfrom'the-p'in and detached when desired. formed at its front end withanincline 0 and at its rear end-with a. jaw 0 the-said incline beingadapted to come against the'extension m, of the pawl when the bar 0 ismoved inward and to thereby shift the tooth of the pawloutof-en-gagement with the teeth or projections 'on .the feed-wheel. Inorder to effect this movement of the bar 0, a lover or catch O,-Fig. 20,is pivoted-at O on the out-' side of-the plate a, this lover or catchhaving at'its lower end a pin 0, which projects through a curved slot onin the said plate and engages withthe aforesaid jaw 0 on the bar O. Thelever or catch 0' has a hooked upper end'o which is capableof engagingwith a projection i .on the crank-handle I when the latter is in itsforward position'and the said catch turned into the position representedby the dotted lines in Fig. 20. The catch then locksthe crank-handle inits for:

ward position, and thus acts as a safety con f to the water-jacket by ascrew-pin f and acts trivance for throwing the gun out of action.- .Thesaid catch, by liberating the pawl fromthe feed-wheel, enables thelatter to be turned in either direction and also-permits thecartridge-belt to be readily'withdrawn from the gun when all thecartridges have been fired. There-is a pin 0 projecting from the upperend of the catch, which is adapted to engage with one or other of tworecesses at a in the plate a, so that the said catch canbe retainedineither of its extreme positions.

The water-jacket F is formed in two portions, which are connectedtogether by screwv threads F. In the rear portion of the saidwater-iacket thereis a transverse passage f, which terminates at one endin a socket f, for the reception of a rotary tapered plug P, and

. at the' other end asocket f for the recep- The said. bar is.

.a third of its circumference.

per part of the plug is a handle f, by which tion of a valve P, Figs. 13and 14. This valve may be of any desired construction, that illustratedin the drawings consisting of a hollow screw-plug f having a segmentalopening f therein, which communicates with the atmosphere, Within thehollow screwplugis a coned valve f", which is kept on its seat by aspring surrounding its spindle. The outer end of this spindle extendsthrough a screw-cap f on the hollow plug f. This valve should be suchthat it will not allow the steam to escape until the pressure within thewat'er-jacket'exceeds, say, five atmospheres. The aforesaid plug-socketf is open at its lower end and communicates vby lateral openingsff situated diametrically opposite each other, withthe interior of thewater-jacket. Connected to the openin g f 8 is a tube 3, whose outer endf extends to a point in proximity to the muzzle end of the water-jacket.It will thus be seen-that the opening f is open to the water-jacket atthe breech end thereof and the opening fat the muzzle end thereof. Thisarrangement enables'the steam to reach the plug P from either end of thewater-jacket,

so that when the-muzzle of the gun is depressed and the open end of thetube j is covered by the water the steam can reach the plug by theopening f and when the muzzle of the gun is elevated and the openingfiscovered by the water the steam can reach the plug by the opening inthe end f of the said tube. The aforesaid rotary plug P has two passagesin'it, one of whichviz.,

f-is vertical, with a lateral opening f at,

loo

its lower end, and is open to the atmosphere v at its upper end, whilethe othersviz. ,'f

is a segmental groove or channel which extends horizontally around theplugforfabout Near the upthe said plug can'be turned into the desiredpositionto bring its passages into contiguity to any of the openings f ff of the plug socket. 0n the upper end of the plug is a cylindricalprolongation f, which enters a hole in the free extremity of a flexiblearm- This arm is connected at its opposite end asa spring to keep theplug in its socket. The under surface of the outer end of this flexiblearm has a series of cavities or open-- 15 to 19 I have shown horizontalsections illustrating the plug in each of these positions.

Fig. 13 it. will be seenthat the passages f 7 jacket.

WVhen the handle f is in No. 1

' closed. The steam position, Fig. 15, the opening f coincides with theopening f that communicates with the tube f and the segmental channel fthen lies opposite the opening f without connecting this openingwith'either of the others. The steam can thus be blown off from themuzzle end of the water-jacket through the pipe and di reotly throughthe Vertical openingf in the plug without-passing to the valve P". Thisposition is what I term the muzzle blowoff. In No. 2 position, Fig. 16,the handle f has been turned one step to the right, the openings f fbeing then closed and the segmental cha'nnelf turned into a position toconnect the passages f The steam can then pass from the rear end of thewaterjacket to the valve P. This I term the Fde- 'pression position. InN o. 3 position, Fig. 17, the-handle has been turned another step to theright and all the openings are disconnected, so that no outlet thenexists for the steam. I term this the closed position. It is when theplug is in this position that the chief function of. the flexible arm fcomes into requisition, for if the pressure within the water-jacketincreases to an abnormal extent the said arm no longer exertssuflicientforce to keep the plug in its socket, with the result that the plugbecomes lifted and permits the steam to escape. The plug while in thisposition therefore acts as a safety-valve. No. 4 position, Fig. 18, thehandle has been turned another step to the right, thereby causing thesegmental channel to connect the passages f f while f 2 f still remaincan then escape from the front end of the water-jacket by the tube f 9and reach the valve P by the passage f. This I term the elevationposition. In No. 5 position,Fig. 19, the handle has been turned anotherstep to the right, thereby bringing thepassage f opposite thepassage fwhile and f are closed. The steam can then be blown oif from the breechend of the water-jacket directly through the vertiplug without passingto; This 1. term the breech blow-g cal openingf in the the valve P. on?position.

the water-jacket for indicating the abovementioned various positions,and I prefer to form the aforesaid handle f with a longitudinal openingf fithrough which these various words or signs appear when the handle isput into a position to cover'them. The rear end of the water-jacket isformed with twoseries of vertically-arranged'lugs F F and the sideplates a a" are likewise formed with end lugs a .to fit between theselugs F Vertical pins pass through each of these series of lugs andconnect the said side plates to the water- A firm connection between theparts is thus established, so as to prevent any yielding thereof at theinstant of firing. Horizonrounding the .zle, of

plate or flap having. an which the muzzle of the barrel projects, and vof means for transmitting the movement of I provide words or signs onthe surface of' is in its horizontal tally-arranged lugs F F arelikewise formed at the upper and lower ends of the rear portion of thewater-jacket, and to these lugs the top plate a and the bottom plate aare respectively connected byhinge-pins. In this manner not-only can thetop plate be opened upwardly, but the bottom plate can also be turneddownwardly, which enables the interior of the casing and the breechmechanism to be examined and reached with the greatest facility.

What I claim is- 1. In an automatic gun, the combination with anon-recoiling barrel, of a jacket sur same and divided by a transversepartition located near the muzzle of the barrel into a Water-chamber anda forward gas-chamber of relatively large capacity, a pivoted plateforming one side of said gaschamber and connect-ions between the plateand the breech mechanism, whereby the movement of the plate due to'thepressure of the gases of discharge within the chamber, will operate saidbreech mechanism, as set.

2. In an automatic gun, the combination with a non-recoiling barrel, ofa jacket surrounding the same, a transverse partition near the muzzle ofthe barrel dividing the jacket into a Water-chamber and a forwardgas-chamber of relatively large capacity, a gland in said partitionthrough which the barrel projects, the barrel being provided withtransverse apertures within the chamber for the escape of gas, a pivotedplate forming one side or end of the gas-chain her and connections fortransmitting the movement of said plate to the breech mechanism, as setforth. p i

-3. In an automatic gun, the combination. with a non-recoiling barrelprovided with transverse gas-escape apertures near its muza gas-chambersurrounding the said apertures and situated within the mouth ofthe-water-jacket', of a steel casing or lining within the gas-chamber,

' aperture through the flap to the breech mechanism of the gunsubstantially as described.

of a pivoted. end

4."In an automatic gun, the combination with the movable end of thegas-chamber, of

a longitudinal bar extending to the breech of the gun and controlled bya spring, of a bellcrank'lever operated by the said longitudinal bar andacting on the crank to actuate the reech mechanism, and of a recessformed in the bell-crank lever for the reception of a beveled portion ofthe crank when the latter and the beveled acting as a dead-stop toprevent further movement or rebounding of the crank until the bell-cranklever is again operated by the position, the said recess-{ff portion ofthe crank thus aforesaid longitudinal bar, substantially as terminatesat its upper end in a notch, and

of a. -1nainspring which engages with the notch on the striker and thaton one of the I5 inclined sides of the opening by the mere act offorcing the said mainspring through the opening in the lock-bodysubstantially as described.v

6. In an automatic gun having a non-recoilzo ing barrel, the combinationwith a breech block or look provided with a reciprocating striker, of anextractor pivoted to the forward portion of, the breech block or lock,of a resilient arm connected to the rear portion of the striker andmoving therewith, of a slotted opening in the free end of the flexiblearm,

of a T-hea'd on the extractor'for engagement with the said slottedopening, of an ear or lug near the free end of the said resilient arm,of

the resilient arm and acting 'to keep it in its depressed positionduring the greater portionof the movements of the breech block or look,of a fixed projection or cam-piece situated in proximity to the rearwardextremity of the flexible, guide and acting to raise the resilient armand theextractor when the end of said arm leaves the flexible guide, andof a fixed bar or stop which is situated in proximity to the breech endof the barrel, so that after the breech block or lock has closed thebreech, the aforesaid slotted end of the resilient arm is,simultaneously with the forward move ment of the striker in firing thegun, driven forward beneath the said fixed bar or stop and thereby actsas a wedge to firmly hold the extractor in engagement with the head ofthe cartridge substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

7. In' an automatic gun the combination with a breech block or lockhaving a reciprocating striker, of spring-controlled safety and firingsears pivotally connected to the lockbody and having shoulders forengagement with a projection on the striker, of a nose or bent endon thesafety -'sear which comes against the connecting-rod and is thereby Ylifted to free its shoulder from the projection on the stiker when thesaid connecting-rod 60 is horizontal and the breech properly closed, ofa cam-piece or inclined projection on the firing-sear, and of means foracting on this cam-piece for raising the firing-sear and releasing thestriker to fire the gun substan- 6 5 tially as described.

a longitudinal flexible guide situated above:

water jacket,

8. In an automatic gun, the; combination with the firin g-sear and thecam-piece or projection thereon, of a sprin g-controlled sliding barhaving a projection to engage with the aforesaid cam-piece outhefiring-sear, of a rocking lever connected at its upper end to the saidsliding bar and having at its lower end a V-piece and of a V-groove inthe end of the rotary firing-button for engagement with the aforesaidV-piecc, substantially as 7 5 described and for the purpose specified.-

9. Inan automatic gun having a non-recoiling barrel the combination withthe breech block or look, of a feed wheel mounted on a horizontalspindle which is so situated relatively tothe breech end of the barrelthat the feed-wheel will by its intermittent movement bring thecartridges in alineinent with the cartridge -,chamber and theplunger onthe lock, of a series of teeth or projections on the feed-wheel, of aspring-controlled pawl for engaging with the said teeth or projections,of a pivoted lever-carrying the said pawl, of a shoulder on the pawlwhich comes between the teeth on the feed-wheel as the pawl rises andthus prevents the feed-wheel from overturning, and of two projectionsonthe crankshaft for acting on the free end of the afore-. said pivotedlever to alternately raise and lower the pawl, substantially asdescribed.

- 10. The combination with the spring-controlled pawl for working thefeed-wheel, of a sliding bar adapted to engage with the said pawl, of apivoted lever situated outside the gun and which when shifted in onedirection rccauses the sliding bar to remove the pawl from engagementwith the teeth of the feedwheel and when shifted in the other directionallows the pawl to again come into engagementwith said teeth, of ahooked portion or .1o catch on the said pivoted lever for engaging witha projection on the crank-arm when the latter is in its forwardposition, and of means for keeping the pivoted lever in either of itsextreme positions'substantially as described no and for the purposespecified.

11 In an automatic gun, the combination with the waterjacket havinghorizontally and vertically arranged lugs at its rearend, of side plates(1 at having corresponding lugs :15 for engagement with the said .lugson the of pins passing vertically through these lugs and securing theparts-together, and of top and bottom plates at a having hingejoints forconnection to the [20 aforesaid horizontal lugs on the water-jacket,substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

12. In an automatic gun the combination with the water-jacket of alooserotary plug -12 5 having apertures therein, of a socket in whichsuch plug works, of openings in the socket communicating respectivelywith the breech end of the water-jacket, with a tube leading to themuzzle end of the water-jacket,

and I with a valve, of means. for turning the said In testimony whereofI have hereunto set plug, and of a, flexible arm for locking the my handthis'9th day of March, 1896; said plug in its adjusted positions and forallowing the plug to rise and give passage to HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM 5 thesteam if the pressure thereof become ab- Witnesses:

normally high, substantiallyas described and PAUL DEVIN,

for the purpose specified. WILMER M. HARRIS.

